Chapter 37: The Island

Breakfast was made by Hermione. She didn't really mind- she knew what would happen if she let any of the others cook. Rich kids who never cooked for themselves, Ginny who confessed she hated it, or Harry who she knew was about as skilled as Ron in that area.

Still, she liked to give the others a bit of a hard time, especially Draco.

"Here I am, cooking again." she called as everyone sat in the living room. She liked the relatively small size of the villa- she was sure they could hear her from the kitchen. "If I'm acting like the hired help for the weekend, do I get paid?"

"No," called a voice from the living room. Pansy. "You're the house elf for the weekend. House elves don't get paid."

Hermione was tempted to dump a bottle of hot sauce in Pansy's eggs, but remembered that the girl was pregnant and restrained herself from sabotaging the brat's food.

Harry walked in, looking a little sheepish. "Er, can I help with something?"

"You can go set the table. I've seen what happens when you cook eggs." She smiled. "But thanks." She raised her voice a little. "At least someone's offering!"

No response from the living room.

Harry grinned. "Sorry, Ginny's head is killing her." They had all neglected to bring any potions for such a situation, which really was a big oversight.

"Yeah, Draco's too. Won't stop me from picking on him, though. Payback for yesterday."

Harry's face flushed. And he started pulling dishes from the cupboards. "Er, right… he does like to make a scene, huh? Though I suppose wanting attention isn't anything new to him."

Hermione gave him a sideways, partial smile. "Yes, but while it used to make him seem arrogant, I find it kind of… endearing, now."

Harry stared at her, then proceeded to roll his eyes. He set down the stack of dishes on the counter as Hermione continued to shift around the scrambled eggs in her pan. "Hermione, just to be clear- we're certain this isn't some crazy love spell, right? No one at the Manor poisoning you, or obliviating you?"

He said it as a half-joke, and Hermione laughed. "No such luck for you, Harry. I legitimately like Draco."

He shook his head. "So I've been hearing from Ginny… and after the way he acted at the Burrow… he made it seem like he knew the consequences of seeing you, and he was willing to give it all up." Harry started pulling out silverware, his brow furrowed. "I can't believe I'd ever see a day when Draco would be willing to give up everything that had defined him for someone else, let alone someone I care about. I guess I can buy that he's serious. That doesn't make it any less weird."

Something in Hermione's stomach twisted at his words…everything that defined Draco. If his parents threw him out, he would lose his home, his money, his status, and his family… all for her. Was that really okay? Or would he start to resent her for it?

Harry saw the dark look that came over her face, and misinterpreting as usual he tapped her arm with his elbow, lifting up his haul of tableware. "Hey- I didn't mean to get you down Hermione. It's a good thing, really. He's a better person for getting to know you."

"Thank you Harry," she said, giving him a tight smile as he headed to the adjoining dining room to set the table.

...

Harry sighed when he stepped onto the boat, having a seat immediately, and Hermione began to wonder at his comment about not being a fan of boats. Maybe he got seasick? Either way, he was looking less than happy about the invitation to the island.

"It'll be much faster than swimming," Ginny pointed out, plopping down next to him. "Plus, look! A mini-bar!"

The yacht was rather large, and seated the six people with room for plenty more. Hell, room for a party, actually.

Draco sent a spell to the rudder, making the boat move very slowly and gently out of the harbor. Harry looked relieved, though his face was tinged with green. Definitely motion sickness- considering all of his adventures in flying cars, trains, thestrals, and Gringott's carriages, it came as a bit of a surprise. But then, Hermione supposed that boats were a little different.

Pansy spread herself onto a wooden lawn chair, keeping to the shade provided by a small awning at the entrance to the inside of the boat. She was wearing a different sundress than yesterday, one that seemed to be higher quality than the other girl's. It was definitely wizard summer wear, though- it had small flared sleeves and a row of buttons up to her neck that would look very out of place in muggle London, but was made of a cool cotton.

"So," Pansy started casually, taking the drink Pietro offered her with a small, intimate smile at her husband, "how are things with Mr. Malfoy Sr.?"

Harry and Ginny grew quiet, looking at Draco and waiting expectantly. Obviously they had wanted to know about the situation, too, but hadn't found the right way to ask.

Draco groaned. "Pansy, you're really the life of the party. He's doing well, I suppose… really well. He's just about recovered completely, I'd say, from his stay in… in that place."

"He's been training Draco on how to take care of the family finances," Hermione added quietly, sipping at a bottle of water and shifting her eyes up to meet Draco's. He frowned at her, his gray eyes glazing over like he was lost in some distant thought.

Pansy clucked her tongue. "Lucky me- I never had to worry about any of that rubbish. My parents assumed that when I married you, you would take care of things and I would sit there and look pretty."

Hermione choked on some of her water- how could she just say something like that so matter-of-factly? What century were pure-blood families living in, anyways? It seemed that the rich families, especially, had some very dated practices… it almost made the Marriage Law look like a good thing. It had certainly worked out for everyone seated in the boat, right?

"Yeah, too bad your etiquette tutor quit in a rage after a month…"

Pansy smirked. "Ah, third year. I frazzled Madam Cloetho good. It was her own fault- I'd been learning how to act at banquets and balls my whole life. I certainly didn't need some half-blood storming in and telling me to sit up straighter…"

Hermione wondered again at what Pansy's opinions were these days when it came to blood-status. She assumed that Pansy had disregarded her parent's teachings on the matter, but there was no amendment to her implied disregard of "half-bloods" forthcoming.

"She wrote a letter to my parents, you know. Trying to tell them what an unlucky match you would be. Little did she know I already knew you were a loud-mouth," Draco informed her with a grin.

Pansy looked affronted, a hand to her chest. "Me? Excuse me, Mr. "my father says this,""my father says that,""I'm going to be the best little Death Eater there ever was!""

Hermione gave Harry a wide-eyed stare, which he very easily returned. How could they just joke around about things like this? She knew Pansy wasn't drunk, so she could only blame the girl's tactlessness.

Draco didn't seem the least bit surprised or irritated at her words. He turned to Pietro. "I've known Pansy for a long time, so I'm used to this, but how do you put up with her?"

Pietro seemed to think about it, gazing down at his wife with a look that could only be described as tender. Hermione wondered at his affection for her- she was rude, she was still vaguely racist, and she had a bad attitude. Maybe he saw something they didn't?

"I'm the strong silent type," he answered with a shrug. He smirked, not looking away from his wife. "And I can listen to her beautiful voice all day, no matter what she's saying."

"Pietro, you always know just what to say," she answered, her voice suddenly softer than Hermione had ever heard it. She had a childish moment where she wanted to stick her finger in her mouth and make a gagging motion at Harry, but of course she was able to resist the urge.

The two were holding hands, now, seeming to ignore everyone around them as they gazed into each others eyes.

Draco rolled his eyes. He looked at Hermione and cocked his head to the side as if to say, 'Can you believe this drivel?'

Ginny scooted over, closer to Hermione than Harry. "So, while we're on the subject... had any run-ins with your in-laws lately?" she asked quietly as Pansy started to say something snarky to Draco again.

Hermione shook her head. "I haven't even seen Lucius. I'm sure he's doing a good job pretending I don't exist, which is really best for everyone. It's been a little tricky, though, making sure he doesn't see me leaving Draco's…" Hermione drifted off, realizing what she was admitting too, flushing. Seriously, her friends knew she was sleeping with Draco- this whole little trip had made it expressly clear. That didn't make it any less embarrassing to just readily admit the extent of it to her friend.

Ginny punched her shoulder, grinning. "His bedroom, right? You've been staying in his room? Did you move in? What about your gorgeous wing?"

Hermione fought the tiny smile forming on her face as she answered, "Well… obviously, Draco's rooms are much nicer than mine… though we still use the Potions room on the weekends."

"Ahhhh," Ginny said, drawing out the sound with a mischievous smirk. "I see. You use the Potions room, too…"

"Not for that!" Hermione chastised, just a little too loudly as her cheeks burned.

Draco's head swiveled in their direction, and he stood up from his spot by his friend to instead sit at Hermione's other side. He threw an arm around her, grinning at Ginny. "What are we talking about that has her looking like a quaffle?"

"Fun times in the Potions room," Ginny answered without missing a beat, dodging the flailing arm Hermione sent at her friend in defense and giggling.

"Oh, getting some new ideas?" Draco asked, his smirk becoming just a bit too devilish for Hermione's taste. He pulled at her with the arm around her waist, bringing out a little squeak, and before she knew it she was settled in his lap.

When they finally arrived on the island, the boat docked itself and waited for them to disembark. Pansy took one look at the steep stairs leading up the side of the high cliffs comprising the majority of the island and gave a weak little wave. "Have a good time. I'm going to just wait here."

Pietro sat firmly by her side, so it was clear he would be waiting too.

Draco narrowed his eyes. "I only have one bed on this boat. It's mine. You hear me? No funny business on my boat."

Pansy snorted. "Fine. The bed is off-limits."

Hermione wasn't entirely consoled by her emphasis, but at least the girl hadn't made any more implications about her past with Draco, or Draco's past as a Death Eater in a whole ten minutes. Bully for Pansy.

The stairs were painfully steep, carved into the stone of the cliff. There was a chain attached to posts at either side, making a railing to cling to, but Hermione still found herself out of breath when she reached the top. They were only three months out of stairway-filled Hogwarts and her legs were already out of shape- she resigned herself to some kind of workout regimen.

Draco leaned over with his hands on his knees. "Damn... should have… brought a broom…"

"Spoiled rich boy can't climb some stairs?" Ginny taunted, not looking tired in the least. Harry was right behind her, looking at the sparse vegetation around them calmly.

"How… are you so…" Draco started, then just gestured. "This was much easier a year ago…"

"You two should really work out more. Like, I don't know… join the Aurors," Ginny pointed out smugly.

Ah. Right. No wonder her and Harry were in good shape. Hermione laughed. "Think the Aurors could handle my constant questions and Draco's smart mouth?"

"Not if you're in my training group!" Harry answered, grinning. "I'd have you both running laps all day."

"You're training people already!?" Hermione asked, feeling better after their momentary rest.

Harry nodded. "Yeah… They took my experience with the DA rather seriously."

Draco scoffed. "That little club you were running in the Room of Requirement?"

Hermione shook her head, leading the way forward on an overgrown cobblestone path across a grassy field. "It was more than that… in the last year of the war, the DA was about survival. It started as a secret club, but I guess it just evolved into… more."

"Oh," Draco answered, thinking. "Then I guess you should be thanking me, huh?"

"Why would we thank you?" Harry asked, eyebrows raised.

Draco grinned. "If we hadn't figured out how to break up your little party fifth year, then the DA wouldn't have known to be more careful about what they required to hide from the Carrows seventh year. Hence, you're welcome."

Ginny laughed, but Harry and Hermione just frowned at him. "Oh, come on," Ginny said. "He has a point- all the trouble he caused us made us tough as nails in the long run." Her eyes shined with humor as she gave him a wink. "Thank you Draco for, in the most round-about way possible, helping me hide out during that horrible year."

"Finally, some recognition!" he answered.

Hermione shook off her shock, rubbing at her forehead as they walked. She didn't like being reminding of all of that… how she hated him back then. And Pansy? The annoyance she provided now was nothing like the vile loathing that had been between them before. She remembered that night, remembered the cold sneer on Draco's face, the tears she conjured up to trick Umbridge into going to the Forbidden Forest…

It was like another world, with different people as actors playing them. How could Draco, her Draco, have ever been so cruel? He was the same, even just a few months ago when the whole Marriage Law business was starting. At least he was on the outside.

She didn't like remembering, because she couldn't help the small flame of anger that flickered now and then at her memories.

But now they could look back on such things and laugh, right? That's what Draco and Ginny were doing. So why couldn't she laugh?

The island had a few interesting ruins, not more than two feet tall walls of stone, some cliffs, and some caves that the water from the sea rolled gently into down below. The four of them walked along a path near the cliffs, watching the wide open mouth of one particularly impressive cave swallow the deep blue water.

"It's really beautiful here," Hermione commented, the wind working her salt-water frizzed hair into an extra-annoying frenzy.

"The muggles who owned this place before used to jump off these cliffs, apparently," Draco said, looking down below them at the water and shivering.

"Cliff diving?" Ginny asked, an eyebrow cocked, "or suicide?"

"Is there a difference?" Draco shot back, his voice a little high. "Absolutely crazy…"

Hermione walked a little closer to the cliff edge, peering down… the cliff they stood on was concaved inward, and there were no protruding rocks that might make for a nasty fall. She could see almost to the bottom of the clear blue water, but it didn't look shallow...and there didn't seem to be any rocks waiting down there, either.

"Well, one is generally recreational," Ginny continued with a little laugh.

Hermione wasn't usually the reckless sort, which was why she was taking her time, studying the situation.

She carefully judged the distance below, and shot Harry a look, her eyebrows raised. Her friend walked up next to her, peering down. He had a lot of experience on a broom, and he shrugged at the length of the drop. "Not very high at all, actually. Just looks that way from up here," he muttered to her. He must have known what she was thinking, because he took off his glasses carefully, smiling. "Ladies first."

...

Draco was still exchanging cheerful banter with Ginny, arguing about the insane recreational habits of muggles, when his gaze happened to slip over to Hermione and Harry. His jaw dropped.

Hermione was peeling off her shirt, her muggle underthings in plain view. He supposed they were exactly like her bikini, but seeing her strip so suddenly still shocked him.

"What are you…?" he started to ask, just as she finished kicking off her shoes and removing her shorts. She handed her wand to Harry and sent Draco an uncharacteristically evil smile before she jumped.

She jumped.

Off a cliff.

Draco ran to the edge a little in front of Ginny, wincing as he heard the delayed "splash!" from the calm waters below."Why the hell did she do that!?" Draco asked, talking to Harry but not taking his eyes away from the spot where Hermione had landed. Should he go after her? Was that the heroic thing to do? Even if he should, he sure as hell couldn't bring himself to jump off a cliff to do so… maybe a levitating charm?

"Mostly for shock value, I think," Harry said, smiling. "And partly to shut you up."

Just then, Hermione surfaced, slicking back her hair and grinning up at them. She waved and whooped, bobbing with the small waves.

"What the hell is wrong with you!?" Draco called down. He was suddenly filled with anger, fed by his fear and the relief that she was, indeed, safe. He almost wanted to throw something at her. A shoe? Could he reach her with a shoe at this distance?

His heart was still in his throat when he heard a resounding whoop fly past his ear, the second case of crazy jumping in after her friend. When had Ginny had time to strip down like that!? What was wrong with these women!?

When the redhead bobbed up out of the water, she laughed. "That was great!" she called up from Hermione's side. "Aren't you boys coming? Where's your manly pride, letting us go by ourselves?"

Draco noticed Harry adding his shirt to a pile of clothing and wands that had been started, carefully hidden under some brush. He took off his shoes, leaving his longer men's muggle shorts on as he followed the girls without fear. Draco watched him leap with the same cold-blooded shock as the first two.

"What… what do you mean, manly pride!?" Draco called down, ignoring the laughter Harry added as he popped back up. "Are you trying to question my manhood, or sanity, here!?"

Draco did not have a fear of heights. When there was a solid broom beneath him, heights were no problem. But free-falling off the very high cliff? Why? For what purpose!?

Was this a Gryffindor thing? A hero thing? A muggle thing? What kind of reckless people had he trapped himself on an island with!?

"Come on Draco!" Hermione yelled. "It's fun!"

"Fun!? Why would that be fun? You know what's fun? Living!"

"Boo!" Ginny started calling up, her hands cupped to her mouth to make her voice carry.

"Come on, Draco. Give in to peer pressure," Harry added, a new childish side coming out as he swam towards the cave entrance. Ginny followed him, leaving only Hermione directly below Draco, staring up at him with a hand to her forehead to block the sunlight.

"Draco?" she called up.

She wasn't just challenging him. Somehow, she was testing him. But for what? Why?

He paced at the cliff face, trying to find an easy foothold to walk down. There really wasn't an easy path, which made him suddenly laugh in a small victory. "How are you going to get back up?"

"What?"

"Well, you're so smart, jumping down there like that…I assumed you thought through how to get up?"

She shook her head. "We'll swim over to where there's easier footholds. The island isn't that big."

"Then I'll meet you wherever that is!" Draco called, making sure to slip into as disgruntled a tone as possible. The nerve of her, expecting him to go through with this!

Hermione frowned, and even at this distance, he could see the disappointment etched into her features. He stepped back from the cliff, hiding himself from her view.

'They even left their wands,' he thought grumpily, adding yet another reason why he didn't want to follow them. No wand, no easy way back up, soaking clothes, a long fall, possible sharks… it was stupid.

So stupid.

He kept telling himself that as he removed his light summer robes and stripped to his trousers.